Wood Family Vineyards & Saddle Creek Resort Team Up for an Exquisite Dinner
The Saddle Creek Wine Society had an amazing dinner and wine experience last evening. Rhonda Wood, owner & winemaker, along with Harrison Wood (her son), teamed up with new Executive Chef Chris Cox and Sous Chef Janet Weissbeck of Saddle Creek Golf Resort to make a memorable evening.
We were treated to six wines paired with an “over the top” culinary edibles which were presented with artistic charm and beauty. The first course of the evening was a seared jumbo scallop, fried prosciutto with a fig Gastrigue. This was paired with Wood Family Vineyards 2017 Chardonnay, Double Gold Winner from the 2019 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. The “butterscotch and cracker jack” flavors engulfed each bite perfectly.
The second course served was a salad of organic greens, apple, plum, Bleu cheese with pear vinaigrette. This was paired with a 2016 Merlot, which won Silver at the SF Chronicle Wine Competition this year. The Merlot aromas of “plum and apple” set this in harmonious balance.
Just before the third course was served, the inclement weather just passed and we were left with this beautiful sunset view from our seats facing Gopher Ridge to the west.
The third course was one of the highlights last evening, a crispy pork belly with a spicy barbeque sauce and jalapeno polenta cake. This was paired with two wines this evening. The first being the 2016 Zinfandel “Big Wood” and a 2016 GSM. These wines possessed strawberry jam, silky tannins and exotic spices to round out the paired food.
The fourth course was the entrée for the evening, a grilled beef filet with mushroom risotto, Brussel sprouts and a Cabernet demi-glace. The wine chosen was Wood Family Vineyards 2015 “Especial” Cabernet Sauvignon which won Best of Class Reds at the 2019 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. These two paired beautifully as the floral aromas of “exotic orchids & plumeria” as Rhonda described it. Black fruits and sculptured tannins created a delightful dance on the palate.
And for the finale, the dessert which was a triple chocolate mousse. This was almost a three dimensional art piece as opposed to food. Wines are always difficult to pair with dessert but the 2015 Petit Sirah, a Tri-County Gold Winner in 2018 was an uncontested home run! The Petit Sirah with blueberries and sweet black cherries was a perfect compliment.
All guests left the Grandview room astonished by the food preparation of Chris Cox with only two weeks under his belt at Saddle Creek Resort, his performance was simply impeccable. Janet Weissbeck as a very talented dessert specialist, was spectacular again as in previous winemaker events. A special note of thanks to Tammie Littlefield, Food & Beverage Manager, whose creative talents decorated the tables and coordinated a lot of the preparations for a festive evening. Besides being impressed with those three and of course Rhonda and Harrison Wood with their detailed information and descriptions of the wines, humor, stories, etc., all the Saddle Creek Wine Society Members who attended felt treated to a “very special meal paired with extraordinary wines” and eager for the next one!
Slainte,
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Saddle Creek Golf Resort: http://www.saddlcreek.com
Wood Family Vineyards: http://woodfamilyvineyards.com
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